Africa and The Early Humans:
Origins of Tool-Making and Culture
Introducing Africa
Africa is said be the cradle of humanity. Life began in Africa. Today, Africa contains some of the most unique wild life in the world. Africa, in addition, still has many indigenous people that still live in The Stone Age. Today Africa is a country wracked by civil wars, genocide, poverty, and starvation.
My Blog on Africa and Resources on The History of Africa
For Class and Homework discussions you may have to participate in a web log, or blog discussion. Click on the link below:
http://africaanditsdiscontents.blogspot.com/ Getting Familiar With The Continent
Africa resides below Europe and Asia. If you notice, Africa is right below the country of Spain, and is connected to Asia. Egypt is the bordering country before entering Asia through Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
A Brief History on the African Continent and Resources
Africa is the oldest continent in the world. The most varied form of animal life exists on this continent. It is a continent that gone through much natural turmoil as well as man-made turmoil.
Africa, once a part of Pangaea rests on tectonic plates that are much older than other continents. The grinding and shifting of these plates and the location of Africa on the planet help us understand the varied geography and meteorology of Africa. Africa contains the greatest abundance of diamonds and valuable ores on the planet. The first humans originated from Africa. These early humans were also known as hominids. These early humans were the first to walk upright, develop primitive tools, use fire, and pass down culture. African people are diverse. Some are to this day hunters and gatherers. Others are tribal and some live in cities and towns just the way westerners do. When the first Europeans came in the late 1400's they noticed that Africa consisted of empires fighting for supremacy. In the Victorian Age many European explorers wanted to Christianize Africans or extract the natural wealth of the continent such as diamonds and gold. Africa in the 18th and 19th century was colonized by European powers such as England, France, and Holland. When colonization ended in the 20th century a power struggle erupted between warring factions of African people. Apartheid, a terrible system of segregation in South Africa was in existence til the 1990's. Civil wars were rampant in countries such asSierra Leone, Rwanda, and Somalia. To this day there is still unrest in Africa. The following links share about Africa's story. The link below deals with an overview of African history. I encourage you to explore it. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/africa/history#40683 The link below covers The war in Sierra Leone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiqHKFMPhHw The link below covers the genocide in Rwanda. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-DWBfiq2is&feature=related The Link below covers the child soldiers of Somalia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukGi1uS57H4 The link below was a song dedicated to Africa and was used to raise money for Africans in the 1980's. You will see Michael Jackson in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ZKyYFyiFA If you would like to stay current on African issues click below. The BBC is my favorite news source. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm Hunters and Gatherers in Action...
This short video clip shows how modern day hunters and gatherers track animals and how different they are than humans who live in cities and urban areas. These hunters and gatherers have to hunt daily in order to live.
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The Early Humans
The early humans or hominids are the first humans on earth. Early humans emerged over 2 million years ago. The hominid tree is growing with over fifteen hominids currently on the tree. The latest hominid, Ardipithecus ramidus, was announced October 2009. This is still very recent. We will concentrate on the hominids that made the most impact on prehistory. This would be Australopithicus afarensis, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo sapien neanderthalensis, and Homo sapien sapien. These hominids took the greatest evolutionary steps from being terrestrial to building, manipulating fire, living in communities, and thinking symbolically.
My Blog on the Early Humans and Resources
For Class and Homework discussions you may have to participate in a web log, or blog discussion. Click on the link below:
http://thepoweroftheearlyhumans.blogspot.com/ Descriptions on The Hominids and Resources
Australopithicus afarensis
(Australopithicus afarensis)
The oldest hominid to be found was Australopithecus afarensis. The most famous one found was dubbed "Lucy." She was found in the Afar region of Africa by Donald Johanson, a famous paleoanthropologist. Australopithecus afarensis was a biped and cared for its young just like families of humans today. Check out the links below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7gUL_fteI&feature=related http://www.anthro4n6.net/lucy/ Homo habilis
(Homo habilis)
Homo habilis was discovered by the Leakey family in the country of Tanzania, Africa. Homo habilis was the first hominid to be classified as "homo" (the taxonomy for man). Since early tools such as "flakes and choppers" were discovered next to Homo habilis it was believed that habilis was the first tool maker. Homo habilis was thought capable of being a tool maker since its brain cavity was much larger than Australopithecus afarensis.
http://www.handprint.com/LS/ANC/hfs4.html Homo erectus
(Homo erectus)
The first Homo erectus (upright man) was discovered by a Dutch doctor named Eugene Dubois on the island of Java. Homo erectus differed from from A. afarensis and H.Habilis in brain size and height. H. erectus was much taller than A. afarensis and H. habilis measuring close to 6 feet. Homo erectus was considered the first hominid to use fire. Burned animal bones were found next to the remains of H. erectus, insinuating that H. erectus used fire for cooking or for warmth. H. erectus with the discovery of fire was believed to be the first hominid group to migrate out of Africa. Fire provided light, protection, and shelter for the hominids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quMIdT49iCY Homo sapien-neanderthalensis
(Neanderthal man)
The Neanderthal man was discovered in 1856 by some German miners in the Neander Valley of Germany. Homo sapein neanderthalensis was a very strong and believed to be a very intelligent hominid. Like H. erectus it knew how to use fire for protection, cooking, and migration. Also it was a better tool maker than H. habilis. H. Neanderthalensis cared for others and they were the first hominid group believed to bury their dead. This was a huge achievement in community and culture from previous hominid species. At some point Neanderthal man and Homo sapiens coexisted. However, Neanderthal man died out and modern humans survived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsSOcwY79ig&NR=1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/neanderthal_prog_summary.shtml Homo sapien-sapien
(Homo sapien-sapiens around a cafe)
Homo sapien sapiens are the only hominid species left on the planet. For some reason we thrived while the other hominid species did not. It is believed because of our unique human attributes like creativity, passing of culture, ability for abstract thought and expression that we have survived and flourished as a species. However, it is through the negligence of community, acts of selfishness, and abuses of power that may be the downfall of Homo sapien sapien. It is up to us to understand that all we do matters not just for us but for the planet as well. When we have an opportunity to be an example or do the "right thing" that we pursue it relentlessly.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0220_030220_humanorigins2.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doF4sNrQtmg Migration of Early Man
The early humans migrated out of Africa millions of years ago due to climatic factors or following the animal herds. Remember this is before humankind has discovered agriculture so early man was completely dependent on hunting and gathering as a way to live. Please check out this link below to understand the migration process of early man.
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/ Additional Resources on The Early Humans
http://www.becominghuman.org/node/interactive-documentary
In the above link titled "BecomingHuman.Org" make sure you click on a tab called Hominid Profiles. This will allow you to access brain size, habitat, height, etc. on the early humans. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/humankind/ |